


It's Not Warm When He's Away (Ain't No Sunshine When He's Gone)

by strangestolive



Series: Cute x3 [6]
Category: IT (2017)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 21:29:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13598760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangestolive/pseuds/strangestolive
Summary: Eddie gets into an accident and Richie's full of cloudy days.





	It's Not Warm When He's Away (Ain't No Sunshine When He's Gone)

**Author's Note:**

> this request had been sitting in my inbox for weeks so i finally wrote it! Sorry for the heartbreak and angst! I can't help it!  
> Title is from the song Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers!

Richie ran through the hospital’s pristine white hallways, pushing around the other people who were walking calmly as he went. His body practically collided with the reception desk as he approached the nurse sitting behind it.

“Eddie Kaspbrak.” Richie said out of breath. “I’m here to see Eddie Kaspbrak.” His chest was rising up and down quickly. His breathing had been out of control since he got the phone call two hours earlier. He left work to get there as soon as possible leaving without saying anything more than that it was a family emergency. Unfortunately for him the city was full of traffic and it took Richie the better half of an hour to get there even though he had sped the entire way.

“Are you his emergency contact?” The lady asked him calmly.

Richie nodded his head vigorously. “Yes, I’m Richie Tozier.” He watched as she typed a few things on her keyboard.

“He was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit about twenty minutes ago.” She explained.

“Okay where is that?” Richie asked with wide eyes.

“Fifth floor, the elevators are down there.” She extended her arm in the direction of the elevators. Richie took off before she could say anything more.

He rushed to the elevator, pressing the button with a large number five on it before anxiously pushing the doors close button repeatedly, as if it would get him to Eddie faster. He bounced back and forth on his heels as he waited for the large doors to open. The elevator made a small dinging noise as it reached the fifth floor and its doors opened. Richie stepped out and looked around for the nurse’s station.

In the middle of the large waiting room there was a large circular station with a few nurses moving about and there was a woman in orange scrubs sitting behind a computer. Richie approached her, and he once again explained who he was looking for and asked where he could find her. She pointed to the large doors that lead inside the intensive care unit and told him that he was in room 504.

Richie made his way over. His head was spinning with worry. They hadn’t told him anything about what was going on or how he was other than saying that Eddie had gotten into an accident while at work and that he was being admitted to the ER. As he walked through the narrow hallway, Richie’s pace slowed down. He didn’t know what to expect once he got into the room. He had no idea what had even happened to Eddie. He couldn’t picture how he might look.

He read the numbers as he passed each door, 500, 501, 502, 503. Each room had a large window looking inside, probably so the nurses could see them all Richie supposed. He peered into each one quickly as he walked, almost as if preparing himself for what might be inside room 504. There were people hooked up to machines that were beeping and making loud noises. It sent a chill down Richie’s spine as he pictured Eddie covered in wires like the other patients were. He stood in front of the door that read 504 in large numbers which was currently closed. The window that looked into the room was on the other side but Richie couldn’t look yet. Richie was stuck where he was, frozen with fear of what was on the other side.

“Are you Richie?” A woman’s voice called out.

Richie turned around to see a lady in purple scrubs standing in front of him. He nodded his head in response. “Yeah I’m here for…” Richie’s voice trailed off.

“Mr. Kaspbrak.” She finished for him. “My name’s Anna, I’m one of the nurses assigned to your friend.”

“Boyfriend.” Richie corrected her.

Anna nodded. “Sorry, your boyfriend.” Richie gave her a small nod telling her that it was okay. “Um, well Mr. Kaspbrak here had gotten into an accident while driving. The limo was hit from the passenger side but there was some damage done to him. For some reason his airbag didn’t work so he’s pretty scratched up and he suffered from severe whiplash as well, so he has a neck brace on as well.” The nurse explained to him. “Mr. Kaspbrak also- “

“Please call him Eddie.” Richie cut her off. Her words were swimming around in his mind and Richie felt like he was drowning.

Anna gave Richie a small smile. “Eddie also had some internal bleeding, so he did have to go into surgery for that and it was successful, they were able to stop it. The only issue now is that he hasn’t woken up from the surgery yet and he should have about thirty minutes ago.” She said while looking at her watch.

“Can I see him?” Richie asked, his voice shaking as his mind tried to absorb all of the horrifying information.

“Of course,” the nurse answered. “Someone will be back to check on him in about twenty minutes.”

Richie turned back to face the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open. He stepped inside the room, letting the door slowly close behind him. Eddie was laying on a hospital bed in the middle of the room with large machines sitting behind and beside him.

“Oh my god.” Richie whispered as he saw the multiple tubes attached to his boyfriend.

He slowly walked towards him, his eyes locked on Eddie. He scanned his whole body trying to take it all in. He was still breathing, thankfully, at a steady pace and the machine next to him beeped along with his heart at a pace that sounded okay. There was a chair sitting against the wall and Richie pulled it forward, so he could sit down next to Eddie.

He reached out to grab his right hand and hold it safely in his. “Oh Eddie.” He gasped. “Eds, how did this happen?” The room was silent except for the small whirrs of the machines around them. “They said you were driving for work, baby. Driving people around makes you miserable and as much as I already hated your work, I hate it at a whole new level now because it did this to you.” Richie’s voice was quiet as he spoke. He had both of his hands wrapped around Eddie’s small one. Richie could feel tears pooling in the corner of his eyes.

“I need you to wake up, Eds, I really do.” Richie told him. “They said everything was okay, but they don’t know why you’re not waking up. I know you like your sleep since it’s impossible to wake you up in the morning and you nap every afternoon, but I need you to wake up just his one time, Eddie.”

Richie stared at Eddie, watching him for any sign of Eddie knowing that he was even there. But Eddie laid there still, only his chest moving up and down as he breathed. Richie was crying now. His tears felt cool against his hot cheeks and he knew that his eyes were already puffy.

“Eds, please, come on.” Richie begged but Eddie didn’t reply.

The chair in Eddie’s room became Richie’s new bed. He refused to leave his side. Their friends had come to visit Eddie and see how he was doing but two days had gone by and Eddie still hadn’t woken up yet. Stan had come to stay with him, mostly because he was worried about both Eddie and Richie, especially after finding out that Richie hadn’t left the small hospital room.

“Richie you need to sleep.” Stan told him as Richie was curled up in the small chair.

“I have slept, Stan.” Richie argued. His body ached from sitting in the stiff chair for so long but he had managed to sleep for a few hours.

“I mean in a real bed, Richie.” Stan’s voice was firm, but he meant well. It broke his heart seeing Richie like this, but he needed to be his voice of reason right now. “You need to shower too, if I’m being honest.”

“I’m not leaving him, I’m not.” Richie stated as he gently squeezed Eddie’s hand. He had been holding onto him since he first got there, and he didn’t plan on letting go any time soon.

“I’m not asking you to go and never come back.” Stan explained. “Just go home for a few hours to shower and take a nap on something that’s big enough for you to actually lie down.”

“I can’t, Stan. You don’t understand.” Richie pleaded. “What if I leave and something happens? I’d never forgive myself for not being there.” The small thought of anything more happening to Eddie made Richie feel like crying, but he’d been crying so much he had cried himself dry.

“Richie, go home for an hour please. I promise I won’t leave his side and if anything happens, I’ll call you, okay?” Stan tried.

Richie sighed. Stan just wanted what was best for Richie and that didn’t involve hiding away in a hospital room for days. “An hour?” He confirmed.

“Yeah, just go shower cause you’re starting to smell.” Stan lightly teased.

“Let me just talk to him first.” Richie agreed.

Stan nodded his head and left the room, letting the door close behind him.

“Okay, Eds.” Richie said to Eddie. “I’m going to go home for a little bit because Stan here is being a dickwad and looking out for me, I mean, he’s looking out for both of us right now because he’s going to stay here with you and keep you company for a little bit.” Richie lifted Eddie’s hand give his knuckles a soft kiss. “Hold on for me okay? **Please, you can’t die now** , or whatever your stubborn mind is trying to do.” Richie stood up from his chair, still holding Eddie’s hand. “I’m going to go shower and change my clothes, so I can smell all nice and pretty for when you wake up. I’ll be back. I love you, Eddie.” Richie said, giving his hand one more squeeze before walking over to the door to let Stan back in.

“Don’t worry too much, okay?” Stan said as he gave Richie a tight hug. “I won’t leave his side.”

Richie nodded his head and thanked him before making his way out of the hospital. He found his truck parked where he left it and Richie climbed in. He made the drive home in only thirty minutes since there wasn’t any traffic. Walking into his house felt wrong. It wasn’t fair that he got to be home, but Eddie didn’t, it was their home. Without Eddie the house felt cold and dark, as if it was missing it’s sunshine.

Richie made his way to their room, so he could take a shower. The hot water felt soothing on his skin. Sleeping on the small chair had made his muscles sore and he rubbed them out as the water hit them. It felt so nice he mentally thanked Stan for kicking him out of the hospital for a little bit. Richie stayed under the water for a little while longer before getting out to put on some clean and comfortable clothes. He looked around their room and it made his heart ache. Everything screamed Eddie’s name and Richie wanted nothing more than for him to be there standing next to him. He decided that Eddie would need clean clothes to put on once he woke up so Richie grabbed some sweatpants and a hoodie for his boyfriend and placed them in a small duffel bag.

Just looking at his bed made Richie feel tired but thinking about being in their bed without Eddie made his cheeks feel hot and his chest hurt. Richie grabbed the duffel bag and made his way to their living room, so he could take a nap on the couch instead. He laid down spreading out his long limbs and within minutes Richie was asleep.

Richie woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep but he didn’t feel as tired as he was. He looked around for his phone and found it buzzing around on the coffee table. He quickly picked it up and answered without even checking who was calling.

“Hello?” Richie answered as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

“Richie, it’s Stan.” The voice on the other end matched the name and Richie woke up a little more when he remembered that Stan was with Eddie.

“What’s wrong?” Richie asked anxiously.

“Nothing’s wrong, Eddie woke up and he’s asking for you.” Stan explained.

“Thank fuck.” Richie sighed into the phone. “Tell him I’m on my way and that I love him okay?” Richie said. Stan obliged and with that Richie hung up the phone and grabbed his things before heading back out.

Thirty-five minutes later, Richie was back at the hospital and once again running through the halls to find his boyfriend. Richie was running so fast that nurse had to ask him to slow down. He apologized and walked for about twenty seconds before going off in a sprint again. Finally, he was back at the ICU and opening the door to room 504.

“Eddie!” Richie called as he entered the room. Eddie was still laying where he had left him, but this time Eddie was smiling back at him.

“Hi Rich.” Eddie said softly.

“It hurts to talk.” Stan explained as he walked over to the bed.

Richie sat himself back into the chair he was in earlier and grabbed Eddie’s hand. “How are you feeling? Are you okay?” Richie asked him.

Eddie gave him a smile. “I’m okay.” He said. “Where were you?” He questioned Richie.

“Stan made me go home and shower.” He explained. “I would have been here faster, but I fell asleep on the couch.” Richie laughed. “You couldn’t have woken up a few hours ago, could you?” Richie joked.

“I’m sorry, Rich.” Eddie apologized. “I was just taking a cat nap.”

“A cat nap for two whole days?” Richie replied.

Eddie’s eyes went wide. “It’s been two days?” He asked. Richie nodded his head. “Does work know that I’ve been here? Oh god I have to call them and explain what happened!” Eddie started to freak out.

“Hey, hey,” Richie said softly, “they know what happened.” Richie explained. “You’re not going back there though, Eds.”

“What do you mean?” He asked confused.

“You hate your job, we both know that.” Richie stated. “It nearly got you killed and you want to go back to the one thing that makes you miserable most?”

“You not doing the dishes makes me miserable the most.” Eddie joked.

“Eddie, I’m serious.” Richie said. He gave Eddie’s hand a squeeze. “Besides, I don’t think you’re going to be able to work for a while.”

“He’s right.” Richie turned his head to see the nurse standing by the door. “Now that you’re awake we’re going to move you to another room for observation for thirty-six hours to make sure that you’re okay to go home.” She explained. “With your injuries, you’re going to have to take it easy for a few weeks too.”

“Okay.” Eddie said. He looked at Richie and gave him a smile. “Sounds good.”

The nurse nodded her head. “We’ll be back to move you in a little bit.” She said before leaving again.

“Well, I better make myself comfy again for another day and a half!” Richie said as he leaned back in his chair.

“Ha ha, Richie.” Stan said from across the room. “Have you even eaten anything the past two days?”

Richie shrugged. “I wasn’t really hungry.”

“Richie!” Eddie scolded from his bed. “You’re gonna die!”

Richie gave him a look. “I was busy making sure that you wouldn’t!” He said crossing his arms.

“I’ll go get you something from the cafeteria down stairs.” Stan said before exiting the room and leaving Richie and Eddie alone.

“Did you really not leave for two days?” Eddie asked, his voice softer now.

Richie nodded. “I wasn’t going to leave you alone.” He said. “I know how much you hate hospitals.”

Eddie gave him a smile. “Thanks, Rich.” He said.

“Of course, Eds.” He smiled back. “Oh, and I brought you something!” Richie leaned down to pick up the duffel bag and he unzipped it, fishing around inside for something specific. “Ta-da!” He said as he pulled out a teddy bear the same dark brown colour as Eddie’s hair.

“You brought Eddie Bear?” Eddie gasped as he reached forward for it. Eddie Bear was a stuffed teddy that Richie had made at build-a-bear for him back in high school. Eddie hugged the bear close to him. “I love you, Richie.” Eddie said, his eyes leaving the bear to meet Richie’s.

“I know,” Richie replied. “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! let me know what you think and hit me up at totaltozier on tumblr!!


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